In accordance with industry accepted best practices we ask that users limit their copy / paste of copyrighted material to the relevant portions of the article you wish to discuss and no more than 50% of the source material, provide a link back to the original article and provide your original comments / criticism in your post with the article.

Original Message

Aquarius New Moon: February 13, 2010

It is the New Moon in Aquarius, the ultimate time for creating your own reality during the yearly cycle of 13 new moons. Aquarians are said to be independent, creative, changeable, and unique, which is frequently true. Yet, the challenge for any Aquarian is to be grounded and to have an open heart, since the ruling planet of Aquarius-Uranus-makes Aquarians over-energized, abstracted, and mental. During this New Moon, each one of us is especially challenged to access this creative and transformative part of ourselves, because the Chiron/Neptune conjunction (exact on Feb. 16) is exactly conjunct the New Moon. It would be wise to remember that intense self-discovery can take you out of your body, which separates you from the powers of your heart. This is the yearly Aquarian challenge for everybody, but this year's Aquarius New Moon offers a quantum leap in creative potential. This New Moon offers the central creative program, not just Aquarian software.

As this potential comes into our world, the collective field is undergoing deep structural change during the second Saturn upper-square Pluto on January 31, which was right after the Full Moon in Leo conjunct Mars. The signature themes are now becoming clear-the gargantuan 3.8 trillion dollar US federal budget; failing war and security efforts; the impending collapse of the global housing industry; stress in the Japanese auto industry; and the probable failure to achieve comprehensive health care in the US. As Saturn's retrograde square to Pluto hammers the world, most Americans realize that the American middle-class dream is over. Financial security was garroted on rifle butts, smothered in expensive prescription drugs, and destroyed by excessive mortgage debt. These hard Saturn/Pluto aspects are the key right now; Saturn forms and structures reality while Pluto destroys things that are no longer useful, following the cycles of evolutionary change for economies and social systems.

World economies moved out of recession in 1982/3 when Saturn conjuncted Pluto, and these economies accelerated during the great boom of the '80s and '90s. This expansion broke when Saturn opposed Pluto in 2001/02, and slowed even more when the US persuaded many countries to invest in endless war. Now with the upper square occurring after almost ten years of global fears, unpleasant truths are emerging: Millionaire politicians out of touch with the public have frittered away the wealth of the United States, which could trigger global bankruptcy. The American budget proposals, with no end in sight to spending, reveal there is no room for any domestic initiatives, even if wars were abandoned now. Ironically-speaking of activating your own central creative potential-this economic and political disaster means you have to do just that! People have less and less to lose all the time, and so more will break free and discover what they are actually capable of. You create your world-not banks, politicians, or the military.

The New Moon in 25 Aquarius is combust (less than 1 degree) the Chiron/Neptune conjunction, which will be exact on February 16. Therefore, the lunar seed or theme is the full revelation of Chiron conjunct Neptune. In my 2009 readings, I focused constantly on this "Triple Conjunction"-Jupiter/Chiron/Neptune in 25/26 Aquarius-because it was the central astrological theme. The conjunction of these three planets in close range during most of last year inspired a gigantic healing and spiritual crisis in most of our lives, which has fundamentally changed us. Chiron rules the deepest wounding complexes in our body/minds, Neptune rules access to spiritual planes by our souls, and then Jupiter's activation of this wounded spirit complex expanded this species-level crisis to the universal level.

Considering what the Pleiadians think of Earth right now, they are appalled by how you blow your bodies to bits and end up living in bodies with missing limbs. Meanwhile, well-paid city planners create more handicapped zones for wounded bodies. Do not be naive about the distraction being created by these bizarre programs that could cause your species to stop valuing normal physicality. Your potential to become a loving and peaceful species grew during the Triple Conjunction. Jupiter's "push" opened multidimensional doorways that offer humankind new solutions; a good example is the remarkable film Avatar that has a thrilling central theme of a paraplegic regaining his legs. The tragedy in Haiti was the greatest manifestation of the Triple Conjunction: Chiron as deep wounding, with Neptune expressing the ardent religious fervor of the Haitian people, and Jupiter representing the expansion of their plight to the whole world. Three days after the New Moon, the exact Chiron/Neptune conjunction will enable you to identify your own way to a major healing-which can be a key to unlock the doors to total access to spiritual wholeness.

These days the outer world convulses in astonishing chaos and pain caused by earthquakes, East/West violence, and global financial instability. The New Moon conjunct Chiron/Neptune pries open pathways to spirit because so many people know they cannot survive in such traumatic realities. This wild group in Aquarius insists that what matters is what you are personally doing, not the collective madness. Are you available to your elders, your children, and your colleagues and friends, or are you spaced out on Face Book? Being grounded is especially critical for Americans, since the New Moon conjunct Chiron/Neptune is right on the USA 27 Aquarius Moon, as well as right on the lunar South Node of the American president, Barack Obama. An excellent astrologer, Art Gianfermo, brought to my attention that Pluto is in 24 Aquarius in the chart for the formation of the American Stock Exchange in 1792. This strongly suggests that stocks could be negatively affected by this New Moon. Also, Saturn in 4 Libra is transiting the lunar North Node of the Stock Exchange Chart. Since Saturn squares Pluto while it transits the Stock Exchange North Node, fundamental changes are about to come for investors. For example, how is the middle class going to even be able to invest in the future? Investors, be careful-many transits in cardinal planets are building up for the so-called "Cardinal Crunch" this summer.

Also regarding 26 Aquarius, Neptune was in 26 Aquarius when the planet was first discovered in 1846! During this New Moon and the Chiron/Neptune conjunction on February 16, Neptune is experiencing its return, which will complete the spiritual trends that began in the 1840s. If we go back to the time of Neptune's sighting, we find people experimenting with mediumship; hypnotism was discovered; and the theosophical movement began. These movements were all based on the premise that we are not separate from spirit, and that we can develop skills to be in touch with spirit. For those of us accessing nine dimensions and other multidimensional studies these days, we are accessing galactic and universal consciousness. Barriers to other worlds are breaking down, and the key to these breakdowns is always Uranus, which is in the sign that rules Neptune, Pisces.

The planet of transformation, Uranus, is exactly 30 degrees beyond Chiron/Neptune conjunct the New Moon. This is not a strong aspect, but Uranus rules Aquarius, so this increases Neptunian resonance with the New Moon complex. While in Pisces, Uranus subtly emphasizes that the really meaningful transformations are spiritual and not physical. Uranus has been in Pisces since 2003 and moves into Aries in March 2011 (after a brief sojourn into Aries during June-August 2010), so we are in the final stages of mastering its spiritual potential. Uranus rules our creative development over 84 years and transits each sign of the Zodiac for 7 years, the famous "seven-year itch." Every seven years, a new creative theme is worked out in culture, and as individuals, we each change greatly at ages 7, 14, 21, 28, and so on. Many cultures feel that a child first becomes an adult at age 21, which is the first Uranus square. Collectively, the 84-year cycle begins with Aries and ends with Pisces, so now we are poised at the end of a Uranus cycle and a new beginning in Aries. Thus, this culmination in Pisces is the collective spiritual maturation after growing through many levels since 1927, the last time Uranus was in Aries (which was just before the Great Depression).

If you reflect for a moment, you will notice that you have become much more spiritually inclined since the 1960s, when Uranus entered the latter signs of this cycle, and now we are experiencing the final stages of spiritual breakthrough. This New Moon expresses this story dramatically with the New Moon/Chiron/Neptune also in happy resonance with Uranus in Pisces. And, Jupiter is now in Pisces, which is awakening compassion and spirituality and expanding the final stages of the 184-year-long Neptune discovery phase. The grouping of the New Moon/Chiron/Neptune in late Aquarius followed closely by Venus/Jupiter in early Pisces certainly draws the eye. We can feel that something momentous is coming, and I note that there were many rumors about secret negotiations with the Taliban of Afghanistan and Pakistan during the second Saturn-square-Pluto. Hmmm . . .

Meanwhile, my more-complex eye is drawn to two thought-provoking "Yods" in this New Moon chart (a "Yod" is the finger of God in Arabic astrology). Pluto sextile Venus/Jupiter is in a Yod to Mars retrograde, and Saturn sextile Mars is in a Yod to Venus/Jupiter. These are very tight Yods. If you recall, there were two potent Yods in the 2009 Winter Solstice chart that have already demonstrated their powers, as I discussed in the reading for the previous New Moon. So, let's talk about Yods, since few people understand them and few astrologers pay much attention to them. Yods are quite rare during New and Full Moons and seasonal charts, and so they should be scrutinized when they occur during these intense passages. Also they rule deep inner psychological processes, the source for the ability to make real changes in our lives. ln my own work as an astrologer, I have found Yods pack a wallop on the scale of grand squares and T-squares. I don't know whether Arabic astrologers would agree that they are this significant. But, since the best source on Yods is Arabic astrology, I suspect Eastern astrologers value them as I do. Of course, Yods have two quincunxes in them, and Western astrologers do not pay enough attention to quincunxes, the aspects that push us to do things we are resisting.

You can image the finger of God as God's finger pointing at the meaningful issue, with God's body shooting its power through this finger. Since current male-dominant descriptions of God are so disempowering, I like to describe Yods by using the dowsing rod as my model. Dowsing rods are metal tools used to detect the location of water. The "dowser" holds the two rods that hold a bent rod in a slip that allows the two rods to move freely. Holding the rods in his hands, when the holder's cells feel water, electrical signals in the dowsers hands cause the rods to draw together to form a double quincunx-the Yod-that points the rods to the water source. They really work! Imagine yourself as a dowser holding the energy of the two planets (or more) in a sextile and then allow that energy to flow out of your hands to the opposite point, the head of the Yod. Of course, you can only do this by comprehending and feeling the quality of each planet in the sextile, while you imagine holding them in your left and right hands. Then as you shoot this force out to the head of the Yod, you can feel how its impulses, pushes, and activates the planet at the head of the Yod-that is, assuming you can feel the qualities of the planet at the head. It sounds complicated, so, let's just do it. Then we can look at how these powers affect the New Moon/Chiron/Neptune in Aquarius, which is the theme of the New Moon: totally activating your creative potential now.

Venus/Jupiter in early Pisces plays a pivotal role because it is the right hand of the Yod to Mars, and it is also the head of the Yod coming from the Saturn/Mars sextile. Like a caduceus, this double role greatly intensifies both Venus and Jupiter, especially Venus, which is less than one degree from its aspects to Mars and Saturn, very close aspects indeed! Taking a glimpse at what's been going on lately with Venus, Venus was conjunct the Sun during the December 31 Cancer lunar eclipse; combust the Sun during the January 15 close solar eclipse; and conjunct the Sun during the January 29/30 Full Moon. These were the eclipses and Full Moon that facilitated our movement into our collective dark night of the soul that was initially set up by the field of the Winter Solstice. Therefore the role Venus is playing must be carefully watched, especially in the actions of these two Yods.

See yourself standing very erect with your feet grounded in Earth. You are holding Venus/Jupiter in 3-6 Pisces in your right hand, and Pluto in 5 Capricorn in your left hand. Pluto in Capricorn is pushing us all to completely transform the structures in our world, while Venus/Jupiter conjunct in Pisces inspire us to melt into total spiritual immersion. You are holding a force in your hands that has been overturning the major world religions by opening spiritual reconnection with Earth, the central goddess. As you hold these forces in your hands and feel them in your body, shoot that great energy out to Mars retrograde in Leo. Like the rerun of a bad movie, Mars retrograde in Leo is dragging the human race back through all its recent dregs of war, chaos, dominance, and greed. This is a part in us that swills in our own emotional and mental excrement until we can't stand it anymore-so just climb out of the pit! The people in Haiti, struggling to escape the hell they've lived in for so long and being hauled out of rubble, with the recalcitrant West warring against the stupefied and barbarized East, perfectly express this energy. The ego in you that refuses to let the past go so that you can be refreshed to discover a new world expresses this force. Feel how the relentless force of Pluto in Capricorn crumbles walls and exposes financial and military corruption, as the Earth expands herself with Jupiter's masterful powers. Indeed, the Finger of God is pointing to and melting the real problem, too much martial energy wasted in killing and destruction instead of resources used for protection and building new realities.

Now, for the second Yod. See yourself standing erect again with your feet firmly on the ground. You are holding Mars in Leo in your left hand, and Saturn in Libra in your right hand. Mars retrograde in Leo is dragging us back through experiences of using energy badly and being too much in ego; and Saturn retrograde in early Libra is pushing us to deepen the balance and harmony that we achieved November 2009 through mid-January 2010. During this short period, it looked like the world economy was recovering and the old order would be salvaged. Now the great changes are coming on strong again, we are being asked to find new paths. You are holding an energy force in your hands that can show you how to balance power and aggression in your life so that you can regain the full usage of your protective powers. Saturn is asking you to remember the real potency of Mars, which has created civilization and families and life itself. As you hold potent, sextiled Mars and Saturn in your hands, shoot this force out to Venus/Jupiter in Pisces, two players standing together to rebirth the goddess and expand beauty in our reality. Venus/Jupiter plays the role of pointing us to choose Earth first, to expand ourselves in beauty, while also being the right-handed power pushing Mars to rise out of his patriarchal rut. For fun, let's call this the "Avatar Yod".

As best you can, feel these forces through your hands, and feel the powers that you can actually direct in your reality. Hold the feeling for these very real forces during the New Moon. Note that there is still another planet aspecting the Yods that we just played with: Mercury in Aquarius, which functions as the ultimate activator of the Yods. Mercury in 5 Aquarius closely opposes Mars retrograde in 4 Leo, while it trines Saturn retrograde in 4 Libra. Mercury encourages extremely challenged Mars to use intelligence first for a change, while Saturn in Libra is being inspired with new creative visions of new ways to create structures in the world.

To summarize this very complex and potent New Moon chart: The collective world will feel very chaotic and undirected, while individuals will wake up mind-bending inner creative powers, especially those who have planets in 3-6 degrees of any sign. If you do, you may feel like you are in the middle of a pinball machine with lights and sound going off while somebody is shaking and tilting it to boot. The early Greeks always said, "Know Thyself." Well, perhaps they were right.